Belt buckle



July 24, 1923.

s. M. Rim-:l

BELT BUCKLE Filed Aug. 15 1922 www Patented July 2d, i923.

narran iflti SAMUEL M. BIKER, OF CHESTER, NEW' JERSEY.

BELT BUCKLE.

Application filed August 15, 1922. Serial No. 581,997.

part of this specification.

This invention has reference, generally, to improvements in belt buckles; and the invention relates to a novel construction of plate buckle having` a detachable gripping or clamping means slidably related to the main body thereof, and to which one end of the belt is fixed; said gripping or clamping means being held in gripping relation to the adjustable end of the belt by the longitudinal strain or pull to which the latter is subjected when 'in operative encircling` relation to the waist of the wearer.

The invention has for its principal object to provide a very simple construction of plate belt buckle consisting of a main body and a slidable gripping or clamping element separable from said main body, whereby the adjustable end of the belt may be once adjusted relative to the main body, and thereafter the belt may be taken on and off by merely manipulating the separable gripping or clamping element to attach or detach the same from operative relation to said main body; said gripping` or clamping element, when attached to the main body being adapt ed to automatically slide thereon into operative gripping or clamping relation to the adjustable end of the belt, to securely hold the latter against displacement while around the person of the wearer.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood from the following detailed description of the same.

W ith the various objects of this invention in view, the same consists, primarily, in the novel construction of belt buckle hereinafter set forth; and the invention consists, fur; thermore, in the novel arrangements and combinations of the several devices and parts as well as in the details of the construction of the same, all of which will be more fully described in the following specification, and then finally embodied in the claims appended thereto.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a front face view of the novel buckle with the belt operatively connected therewith; Figure 2 is a similar View with portions of the belt broken away to disclose underlying parts of the buckle structure;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section taken on line 3-3 in said Figure l; Figure 4 is a transverse section, taken on line 4 4 in Figure 2; Figure 5 is a front face view of the detachable or separable clamping or gripping element of the buckle when sepa" rated from the main buckle body; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the main body of the buckle; and Figure 7 is a perspective View of the separable clamping or gripping element of the buckle.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the hereinabove described views, to indicatefcorresponding parts.

Referring now to said drawings, the novel belt buckle comprises a main body consisting of a front or face plate 8, having at its longitudinal edges inwardly projecting side flanges 9. Provided in the vbody of said face or front plate 8 adjacent to its rearward end is a transverse slot or belt passage l0, and adjacent to its forward end is another transverse slot or belt passage l1. Pressed out of the body of said face or front plate 8, at a point intermediate the slots or belt passages -10 and il, are a pair of laterally spaced apart inwardly projected guide lugs l2, eX- tending substantially at right angles to the plate of said front or face plate, the free ends of said guide lugs 12 terminating in outwardly extending keeper lugs 13 spaced inwardly from said front or face -plate 8, and lying substantially in a plane parallel thereto. Also pressed out of the body of said front or face plate 8, rearward of said guide lugs 12, is an inwardly projected stop lug 141:.

The separable gripping or clamping element comprises a clamp-plate 15, the rearward end of which is doubled back upon itself to provide a gripping tongue 16 lying in a. plane substantially parallel to the main body of the clamp plate 15 but spaceda short distance there-from. The forward free lto end of said gripping tongue 16 is provided lil) The body oi' said gripping tongue 16 at point spaced rearwardly trom its forward serrated edge is provided with an opening 18. Connected integrally with said gripping tongue 16 at the rearward edge or margin of said opening 18, and so as to extend longitudinally forward from the latter to lie substantially in the plane ot said grippingtongue, are a pair of laterally spaced apart coupling fingers 19 adapted at proper times to receive` therebetween the guide lugs `1:2 oi the main buckle body. Said coupling ingers 19 terminate short oi the torward edge of said opening 18 sowas to provide a tree transverse space of suliicient area to permit the'guide lugs 12 and their keeper lugs '13 lto lenter 'through said opening` past the Vfree ends otcoupling iingers 19. [Said couplingflingers 19 are provided attheir inner longitudinal or opposed edges with inward projections or humps 20. The coupling fingers 19 and their projections or humps 20, :are so spaced apart that the guide lugs 12 at proper times may be entered slidingly therebetween, to spring! or snap past said projections or humus 20, said coupling lingers 19 possessingv su'llicient lateral resiliency to permit oi such action, and said projections or humps 20 thus holdingv the gripping or clamping; element "ainst :accidental separation from its opera 7e attached relation to the main buckle body. Suitable means are provided in connection `with the clamp plate 15 tor e ring or attaching thereto one end of a belt 21. Such means may be made in various ways. Illustrative of one form of such attaching means is the transverse loop 22 which extends from the forward end ol" said clamp plate 15, and to which the iined end 23 ot the belt may be connected in any well known manner.

The iree or adjustable end 2a of the belt 21 is inserted under the. rearward transverse end of the front or face plate to pass outwardly through the 'rearward slot or belt passage 10-then longitudinally across the A*outer face oi the iront or tace plate, and thence inwardly through the forward slot or belt passage 11 to issueA forwardly from the opposite end` of said iront or *face plate.

In applying the belt to the waist ci? the wearer, the separable ,gripping or clamping` element lis separated from the main body of the buckle, and the belt 21 is arranged about the waist, whereupon the gripping; or clamping element and the main body oit the buckle are aggainbrought together so that the guide lugs 12 and keeper lugs 13 connected with the iront or face plate 8 may be caused to enter through the opening 1S at a point forward oi thev ends. of the coupling iinrers 19. A. forward longitudinal pull upon the clamp plate 15 will thereupon slide the saine forward relative to the main buckle body to between sail serrations 17 and the forward edge of said forward slot or belt passage 11 ot the main buckle body. The forward sliding` movement ot said clamp-plate 15- will cause the coupling` lingers 19 to move torward to embrace said guide lugs 12 while the keeper lugs 13 pass over the same to prevent withdrawal or separation of the clamping or grippingY element from the main `buckle body. This forward sliding; moveinentoil the clamping or gripping element relative 'to the main buckle body also causes' the projections or humps 2O of the coupling 4lingers 19 to spring' or snap past the guide lugs 12, in which position they serve to preyvent accidental retraction of the clamp-plate 15 and associated parts from operative belt end engaging position. The belt maybe adjusted, it necessary, by-inoving the i'ree end tbereo'li forwardly relative to the .main buckle body until the desired tension around the waist established; under such manipulation the clamp plate 15 beinga retracted su'lliciently 'to release the serrations 17 oli the gripping tongue 1G from operative gripping relation to the beltl end. The desired tension thus established, will always operate to pull the clamp plate 15 and associated parts torward so that the bite of theserrations 17 is maintained while the belt is being worn. After an initial adjustment or the belt to the waist ci' the wearer, it is unnecessary to disturb the radjusted relation established between the tree end portion to remove the belt from the wearers waist, all that 'is necessary to be done is to push back the clamp plate 15 and associated parte until its rearward end is stopped by the stop-hupv 14:

.oil2 the main buckle body, whereby the clamp plate is positioned so that 'the lguide lugs 12 and keeper lugs 13 have been retracted beyond the free ends of thecoupling fingers 17, and thereby al ined with the unobstructed open space ot the opening' 1S, so that the main buckle body and clamp plate element may be separated to part the respective ends o1 the belt. To replace the belt on the wearers waist the operations thus eilected are reversed.

From the above descripticnv it will :be plain that the novel bucklev structure above describedis of exceedingly simple construction, comprised of' but tew partsand sub ject to a quick and easy manipulation for the purpose ot taking on and ol'fthe belt connected therewith from thewaist of the wearer.

l'. am aware that some vchangesfma7 be made in the various arrangements and-coin binations oit the devices and parts, aswell as in the details of the construction ot the lll) same, without departing from the scope of this invention as set forth in the foregoing specification, and as defined in the appended claims, Hence, I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts as described in said specication, nor d o I confine myself to the exact details of the construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

I claim l. A belt buckle comprising a face plate transversely slotted adjacent to its respective ends for threading the free end of a belt adjustably therethrough, apair of laterally spaced guide-lugs inwardly projecting from said face pl-ate intermediate said slots, said guide lugs terminating in keeper lugs spaced in parallel plane from said face plate, a clamp plate having its rearward end doubled back upon itself to provide a forwardly projecting gripping tongue spaced in parallel plane from the main portion of said clamp plate, said gripping tongue having an opening to receive said guide lugs of said face plate, means associated with said opening to engage said guide lugs and keeper lugs to hold said clamp plate operatively attached to face plate, and means for connecting the fixed end of a belt with the forward end ofsaid clamp plate.

2. A belt buckle comprising a face plate transversely slotted adjacent to its respective ends for treading the free end of a belt adjustably therethrough, a pair of laterally spaced guide-lugs inwardly projecting from said face plate intermediate said slots, said guide lugs terminating spaced in parallel plane from said face plate, a clamp plate having its rearward end doubled back upon itself to provide a forwardly projecting gripping tongue spaced in parallel plane from the main portion of said clamp plate, said gripping tongue having an opening to receive said guide lugs of said face plate, coupling fingers connected with said gripping tongue to project longitudinally forward into said opening so as to embrace said guide lugs upon longitudinal forward movement of said 'clamp plate, the free transverse edge of said gripping tongue having a plurality of gripping serrations, and means for connecting the fixed end of a belt with the forward end of said clamp plate. v

3. A belt buckle comprising a face plate transversely slotted adjacent to its respective ends for threading the free end of a belt adjustably therethrough, a pair of laterally spaced guide-lugs inwardly projecting from said face plate intermediate said slots, said guide lugs terminating in keeper lugs spaced in parallel plane from said face plate, a clamp plate having its rearward end doubled back upon itself tov in keeper lugs provide a forwardly projecting gripping tongue spaced in iparallel plane from the main portion of said clamp plate, .said gripping tongue having an. ope-ning to receive said guide lugs ofsaid face plate, coupling fingers connected with said grippingjtongue to project longitudinally `forward into said opening so las to embrace said guide-lugs upon longitudinal forward `movement of said cla-mp plate, said coupling fingers having at their inner longitudinal edges stop projections to spring past said guide lugs, the free transverse edge of said gripping tongue having a plurality of gripping serrations, and means for connecti-ngthe fixe end of a belt with the forward end of said clamp plate. i.

1i. A belt buckle comprising a face plate transversely slotted adjacent to its respective ends for threading the free end of a belt adjustably therethrough, a pair of laterally spaced guide-lugs inwardly projecting from said face plate intermediate said slots, said guide lugs terminating in keeper lugs spaced in parallel. plane from said face plate, a clamp plate having its rear-ward end doubled back upon itself to provide aforwardly projecting gripping tongue spaced in parallel plane from the main portion of said clamp plate, said gripping tonguehaving an opening to receivesaid guide lugs of said face plate, coupling fingers connected with said gripping tongue' to project longitudinally forward into said opening so as to embrace said guide-lugs upon longitudinal forward movement of said clampplate, said coupling fingers having at their inner longitudinal edges stop projectionsto spring past said guidevlugs, the free transverse edge of said gripping tongue having a plurality of gripping serrations, and means for connecting the ixedend of a belt with the forward end of said clamp plate, and a stop post connected with said face plate for determining the rearward limit of movement of said clamp plate relative to ,said face plate.

' 5. A belt buckle comprising a face plate transversely slotted adjacent to its rrespective ends for threading the free end of a belt adjustably therethrough, a pairv of laterally spaced guide-*lugs inwardly projecting from said face plate intermediate said slots, said guide lugs terminating in keeper lugs spaced in parallel plane yfrom said lface plate, a clamp plate having its rearward end doubled back upon itself to provide a forwardly projecting gripping tongue spaced in paralled plane from the main portion of said clamp plate, said gripping tongue having an opening to receive said guide lugs of said face plate, means associated with said opening to engage said guide lugs and keeper lugs to hold said clamp plate operatively attached to face plate, and means for Connecting-the fixed end of a belt with the setfforth abovelzhaveihereunto setmy hand forward end of said ela-mp plate, and a this 12th day of August, 1922. stop post connected with said 'faceI plate 4for j determining the 1reaimvm'cl limit of 1nove- SAMUEL lvl. RKER. 5 ment of said clamp platerelative yto said Yl/Vitnessee;

faceplate. :FREDCK FRAENTZEL,

In testimony, that I claim the invention EVA E. DESCPL 

